Hi. This is Nikita, Nonzero’s Russian staff member.
Last time I spoke to Bob over on Patreon, several people said they'd like to ask me some questions about Russia. I liked this idea. I’ve always found such conversations both challenging and enjoyable: when, for example, an American is asked to explain why there are so many school shootings in their country, or when a Russian is asked to explain how Stalinism and Neo-Nazism are possible in a country where dozens of millions of people died because of Stalin and Hitler. Trying to honestly and objectively explain one’s culture to an outsider is one of the best ways to understand it.
Anyway, Bob and I thought this could be interesting to more people than the inner circle of our Patreon supporters, and so I created this thread. You can ask me anything you want in the comments, and I’ll do my best to provide as thoughtful an answer as I can muster.
Here's a bunch from Henry Harlow, which he asked in a comment on Patreon:
1. As a relatively higher profile person than the average Russian, do you have any concerns about speaking freely about political issues? Are there still some mass media that are not controlled by the government? While I know you were not with us in Soviet times how do things compare to your understanding of those times to now in terms of a free society?
2. Does the average Russian citizen feel free to speak their minds politically?
3. Russian is rated high on having corruption and kelptocracy issues. Would you agree that corruption is a major problem in Russia? Are most of the people OK with the current levels of corruption/kelptocracy?
4. Is it accurate that in your view that the Russian people as a national character trait like to have a strong dominant leader type government. Sort of a large craving for an authoritarian government.
5. A projection on population size for Russian shows a loss of 23 million people by 2050. Would you say that it is at least accurate that the population of Russia will decrease dramatically by 2050?
6. Russia is heavily dependent on oil revenues as an economy thus damaged heavily by low oil prices and has been in recession or weak economy for a long time now. Do you see a path for Russia to get to better (now at 1.5% or so annually) economic growth in the near future?
7. What do you see after Putin? More of the same? Less of the same?
8. The USA has a about a 7.5% of adults over 15 having alcoholism. Russia has about 19% of adults over 15 having alcoholism. At least according to the World Health Organization. Is there any major or organized effort to bring that number down or is alcoholism level drinking is pretty much accepted or even not something that is noticed as a problem?
9. If I come to Russia should I not smile so much or do Russians understands Americans are major smilers and won’t be upset by my smiling?
10. Do you think Russia ultimately wants to absorb the Baltic States or is willing to leave them alone?
11. What are some of the thinks Americans don’t know about Russia we should know?
12. In what ways do you think we have the inaccurate thinking about Russia?
13. I noted that the poverty rate in the USA is about 13% per government standards. I also note in Russian the poverty rate is 13% by government standards. Since you lived in the USA for a good period of time are the USA and Russia standard of living for those in poverty the same or are the USA poverty folks living better than the Russia poverty folks?
Great thread. Nikita, how do the majority of Russians view the idea that Putin interfered in 2016 US elections (and elsewhere)? #2. I understand from some news articles that Stalin’s popularity as a national hero is on the rise there (!). #3. How are the extrajudicial killings of Russian journalists and others viewed there?
Here's a bunch from Henry Harlow, which he asked in a comment on Patreon:
1. As a relatively higher profile person than the average Russian, do you have any concerns about speaking freely about political issues? Are there still some mass media that are not controlled by the government? While I know you were not with us in Soviet times how do things compare to your understanding of those times to now in terms of a free society?
2. Does the average Russian citizen feel free to speak their minds politically?
3. Russian is rated high on having corruption and kelptocracy issues. Would you agree that corruption is a major problem in Russia? Are most of the people OK with the current levels of corruption/kelptocracy?
4. Is it accurate that in your view that the Russian people as a national character trait like to have a strong dominant leader type government. Sort of a large craving for an authoritarian government.
5. A projection on population size for Russian shows a loss of 23 million people by 2050. Would you say that it is at least accurate that the population of Russia will decrease dramatically by 2050?
6. Russia is heavily dependent on oil revenues as an economy thus damaged heavily by low oil prices and has been in recession or weak economy for a long time now. Do you see a path for Russia to get to better (now at 1.5% or so annually) economic growth in the near future?
7. What do you see after Putin? More of the same? Less of the same?
8. The USA has a about a 7.5% of adults over 15 having alcoholism. Russia has about 19% of adults over 15 having alcoholism. At least according to the World Health Organization. Is there any major or organized effort to bring that number down or is alcoholism level drinking is pretty much accepted or even not something that is noticed as a problem?
9. If I come to Russia should I not smile so much or do Russians understands Americans are major smilers and won’t be upset by my smiling?
10. Do you think Russia ultimately wants to absorb the Baltic States or is willing to leave them alone?
11. What are some of the thinks Americans don’t know about Russia we should know?
12. In what ways do you think we have the inaccurate thinking about Russia?
13. I noted that the poverty rate in the USA is about 13% per government standards. I also note in Russian the poverty rate is 13% by government standards. Since you lived in the USA for a good period of time are the USA and Russia standard of living for those in poverty the same or are the USA poverty folks living better than the Russia poverty folks?
Great thread. Nikita, how do the majority of Russians view the idea that Putin interfered in 2016 US elections (and elsewhere)? #2. I understand from some news articles that Stalin’s popularity as a national hero is on the rise there (!). #3. How are the extrajudicial killings of Russian journalists and others viewed there?
Are there Drive through car washes in Russia?
1. What do you think are common mis-understandings about Russians by people outside the country?
2. What two or 3 (common and uncommon) places would you recommend most to people visiting Russia and why?
3. What couple of topics divide younger and older Russians the most?